This invention relates generally to air conditioning systems and, more particularly, to apparatus for manually adjusting the position of an air sweep mechanism on a room air conditioner.
In the localized approach to air conditioning, as is applied with the so called "room air conditioner", it is common to provide a plurality of louvers in the air discharge opening such that the direction of air flow can be controlled as desired. It has also become common practice to provide an "air sweep" mechanism in these devices which causes the louvers to be continuously oscillated back and forth to "sweep" the air flow stream between the extreme points on either side. However, with such an air sweep mechanism, it is sometimes desirable to inactivate the air sweep feature so that all of the cold air is discharged in a desired fixed direction. In order to accomplish this with a conventional system, it is necessary for the operator to wait until the sweep mechanism rotates the louvers to the desired position, and then turn the air sweep mechanism off. Besides the disadvantage of having to wait until the louvers arrive at the desired position, such a method also requires one to anticipate the amount of coasting that will occur after the sweep mechanism is turned off but before the louvers come to a complete stop.
One approach to the above problem has been that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,021, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, wherein provision is made for an operator to move a selector lever to the desired louver position. When the louvers do arrive at a position aligned with the selector lever, the sweeping movement is automatically stopped and the louvers remain in that fixed position. However, it should be recognized that this arrangement was implemented by way of an air driven sweep mechanism which was "turned off" by way of a simple mechanical interference arrangement. If an electric drive motor is used to drive the sweep mechanism, such an implementation would not be practical.
Another problem that may occur with an air sweep mechanism is that of an accidental or unplanned interference which would cause a "jamming" of the louvers. This might occur, for example, if a foreign object is accidentally inserted into the discharge area, or a child takes hold of one of the louvers. As a result, damage may occur to the sweep mechanism or the the drive motor, or both.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved air sweep mechanism for a room air conditioner.
Another object of the present invention is the provision for easily adjusting the louvers of an air sweep mechanism to a desired fixed position. Yet another object of the present invention is the provision for protecting an air sweep mechanism from damage which may occur by accidental jamming.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision for an air sweep mechanism which is economical to manufacture and effective in use.
These objects and other features and advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.